Hollywood Stuntman Hall of Fame

John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in Iowa, to Mary Alberta (Brown) and Clyde Leonard Morrison, a pharmacist. He was of English, Scottish, Ulster-Scots, and Irish ancestry.

Clyde developed a lung condition that required him to move his family from Iowa to the warmer climate of southern California, where they tried ranching in the Mojave Desert. Until the ranch failed, Marion and his younger brother Robert E. Morrison swam in an irrigation ditch and rode a horse to school. When the ranch failed, the family moved to Glendale, California, where Marion delivered medicines for his father, sold newspapers and had an Airedale dog named "Duke" (the source of his own nickname). He did well at school both academically and in football. When he narrowly failed admission to Annapolis he went to USC on a football scholarship 1925-7. Tom Mix got him a summer job as a prop man in exchange for football tickets. On the set he became close friends with director John Ford for whom, among others, he began doing bit parts, some billed as John Wayne. His first featured film was Men Without Women (1930). After more than 70 low-budget westerns and adventures, mostly routine, Wayne's career was stuck in a rut until Ford cast him in Stagecoach (1939), the movie that made him a star. He appeared in nearly 250 movies, many of epic proportions. From 1942-43 he was in a radio series, "The Three Sheets to the Wind", and in 1944 he helped found the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, a Conservative political organization, later becoming its President. His conservative political stance was also reflected in The Alamo (1960), which he produced, directed and starred in. His patriotic stand was enshrined in The Green Berets (1968) which he co-directed and starred in. Over the years Wayne was beset with health problems. In September 1964 he had a cancerous left lung removed; in 1977 when Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope was being made, John Waynes archive voice was used for the character Garindan ezz Zavor, later in March 1978 there was heart valve replacement surgery; and in January 1979 his stomach was removed. He received the Best Actor nomination for Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) and finally got the Oscar for his role as one-eyed Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969). A Congressional Gold Medal was struck in his honor in 1979. He is perhaps best remembered for his parts in Ford's cavalry trilogy - Fort Apache (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950).

Cleft-chinned, steely-eyed and virile star of international cinema who rose from being "the ragman's son" (the name of his best-selling 1988 autobiography) to become a bona fide superstar, Kirk Douglas, also known as Issur Danielovitch Demsky, was born on December 9, 1916 in Amsterdam, New York. His parents, Bryna (Sanglel) and Herschel Danielovitch, were Jewish immigrants from Chavusy, Mahilyow Voblast (now in Belarus). Although growing up in a poor ghetto, Douglas was a fine student and a keen athlete and wrestled competitively during his time at St. Lawrence University. Professional wrestling helped pay for his studies as did working on the side as a waiter and a bellboy. However, he soon identified an acting scholarship as a way out of his meager existence, and was sufficiently talented to gain entry into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his Broadway debut in "Spring Again" before his career was interrupted by World War II. He joining the United States Navy in 1941, and then after the end of hostilities in 1945, returned to the theater and some radio work. On the insistence of ex-classmate Lauren Bacall, movie producer Hal B. Wallis screen-tested Douglas and cast him in the lead role in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946). His performance received rave reviews and further work quickly followed, including an appearance in the low-key drama I Walk Alone (1947), the first time he worked alongside fellow future screen legend Burt Lancaster. Such was the strong chemistry between the two that they appeared in seven films together, including the dynamic western Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), the John Frankenheimer political thriller Seven Days in May (1964) and their final pairing in the gangster comedy Tough Guys (1986). Douglas once said about his good friend: "I've finally gotten away from Burt Lancaster. My luck has changed for the better. I've got nice-looking girls in my films now."

After appearing in "I Walk Alone," Douglas scored his first Oscar nomination playing the untrustworthy and opportunistic boxer Midge Kelly in the gripping Champion (1949). The quality of his work continued to garner the attention of critics and he was again nominated for Oscars for his role as a film producer in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and as tortured painter Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), both directed by Vincente Minnelli. In 1955, Douglas launched his own production company, Bryna Productions, the company behind two pivotal film roles in his career. The first was as French army officer Col. Dax in director Stanley Kubrick's brilliant anti-war epic Paths of Glory (1957). Douglas reunited with Kubrick for yet another epic, the magnificent Spartacus (1960). The film also marked a key turning point in the life of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy "Red Scare" hysteria in the 1950s. At Douglas' insistence, Trumbo was given on-screen credit for his contributions, which began the dissolution of the infamous blacklisting policies begun almost a decade previously that had destroyed so many careers and lives.

Douglas remained busy throughout the 1960s, starring in many films. He played a rebellious modern-day cowboy in Lonely Are the Brave (1962), acted alongside John Wayne in the World War II story In Harm's Way (1965), again with The Duke in a drama about the Israeli fight for independence, Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), and once more with Wayne in the tongue-in-cheek western The War Wagon (1967). Additionally in 1963, he starred in an onstage production of Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," but despite his keen interest, no Hollywood studio could be convinced to bring the story to the screen. However, the rights remained with the Douglas clan, and Kirk's talented son Michael Douglas finally filmed the tale in 1975, starring Jack Nicholson. Into the 1970s, Douglas wasn't as busy as previous years; however, he starred in some unusual vehicles, including alongside a young Arnold Schwarzenegger in the loopy western comedy The Villain (1979), then with Farrah Fawcett in the sci-fi thriller Saturn 3 (1980) and then he traveled to Australia for the horse opera/drama The Man from Snowy River (1982).

Unknown to many, Kirk has long been involved in humanitarian causes and has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the US State Department since 1963. His efforts were rewarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1981), and with the Jefferson Award (1983). Furthermore, the French honored him with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. More recognition followed for his work with the American Cinema Award (1987), the German Golden Kamera Award (1987), The National Board of Reviews Career Achievement Award (1989), an honorary Academy Award (1995), Recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999) and the UCLA Medal of Honor (2002). Despite a helicopter crash and a stroke suffered in the 1990s, he remained active and continued to appear in front of the camera. Until his passing on February 5 2020 at the age of 103, he and Olivia de Havilland were the last surviving major stars from the Golden Years of Hollywood.

Robert Conrad was a graduate of Northwestern University, spending his first few years out of school supporting himself and his family by driving a milk truck and singing in a Chicago cabaret. Conrad befriended up-and-coming actor Nick Adams during this period, and it was Adams who helped Conrad get his first Hollywood work in 1957. A few movie bit parts later, Conrad was signed for a comparative pittance by Warner Bros. studios, and in 1959 was cast as detective Tom Lopaka on the weekly adventure series Hawaiian Eye. Upon the 1963 cancellation of this series, Conrad made a handful of Spanish and American films and toured with a nightclub act in Australia and Mexico City. Cast as frontier secret agent James West in The Wild Wild West (1965) in 1965, Conrad brought home $5000 a week during the series' first season and enjoyed increasing remunerations as West remained on the air until 1969. There are those who insist that Wild Wild West would have been colorless without the co-starring presence of Ross Martin, an opinion with which Conrad has always agreed. The actor's bid to star in a 1970 series based on the venerable Nick Carter pulp stories got no further than a pilot episode, while the Jack Webb-produced 1971 Robert Conrad series The D.A. was canceled after 13 episodes. When Roy Scheider pulled out of the 1972 adventure weekly Assignment: Vienna, Conrad stepped in--and was out, along with the rest of Assignment: Vienna, by June of 1973. Conrad had better luck with 1976's Baa Baa Black Sheep, aka Black Sheep Squadron, a popular series based on the World War II exploits of Major "Pappy" Boyington. Cast as a nurse on this series was Conrad's daughter Nancy, setting a precedent for nepotism that the actor practiced as late as his tenth TV series, 1989's Jesse Hawkes, wherein Conrad co-starred with his sons Christian and Shane.

Though few of his series have survived past season one, Conrad has enjoyed success as a commercial spokesman and in the role of G. Gordon Liddy (whom the actor admired) in the 1982 TV movie Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy (1982). As can be gathered from the Liddy assignment, Conrad's politics veered towards conservatism; in 1981, he and Charlton Heston were instrumental in toppling Ed Asner and his liberal contingent from power in the Screen Actors Guild.

As virile and athletic as ever in the 1990s, Robert Conrad continued to appear in action roles both on TV and in films; he also maintained strong ties with his hometown of Chicago, and could be counted on to show up at a moment's notice as a guest on the various all-night programs of Chicago radio personality Eddie Schwartz.

Joseph Frank Keaton was born on October 4, 1895 in Piqua, Kansas to Joe Keaton and Myra Keaton, Vaudevillian comedians with a popular, ever-changing variety act, which gave their son an eclectic and interesting upbringing. In the earliest days on stage, they traveled with a medicine show that included illusionist Harry Houdini, a family friend. Keaton himself verified the origin of his nickname "Buster", given to him by Houdini when the 3-year-old fell down a flight of stairs and Houdini picked him up, dusted him off, and told the boy's father Joe that the fall was "a buster." Savvy showman Joe Keaton liked the nickname, which has stuck for over one century.

At age 4, Keaton had already begun acting with his parents on the stage. Their act soon gained the reputation as one of the roughest in the country for their wild, physical onstage antics. It was normal for Joe to throw Buster around the stage and participate in elaborate, dangerous stunts to the awe of audiences. After several years on the Vaudeville circuit, "The Three Keatons" toured until Keaton had to break up the act because of his father's increasing alcohol dependence, making him a show business veteran by age 21.

While he was looking for work in New York, he had a chance run-in with wildly-successful film star and director Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, who invited him to be in his upcoming short The Butcher Boy (1917). This appearance launched Keaton's film career and spawned a friendship that lasted until Arbuckle's sudden death in 1933. By 1920, after making several successful shorts together, Arbuckle moved on to features, and Keaton inherited his studio, allowing him the opportunity to begin producing his own films. By September 1921, tragedy touched Arbuckle's life by way of a scandal, where he was tried three times for the murder of Virginia Rapp. Although he was not guilty of the charges, and never convicted, he was unable to regain his status, and the viewing public would no longer tolerate his presence in film. Keaton stood by his friend and mentor through out the incident, supporting him financially, finding him directorial work, even risking his own budding reputation offering to testify on Arbuckle's behalf.

In 1921, Keaton also married his first wife, Natalie Talmadge under unusual circumstance that have never been fully clarified. Popular conjecture states that he was encouraged by Joseph M. Schenck to marry into the powerful Talmadge dynasty, that he himself was already a part of. The union bore Keaton two sons. Keaton's independent shorts soon became too limiting for the growing star, and after a string of popular films like One Week (1920), The Boat (1921) and Cops (1922), Keaton made the transition into feature films. His first feature, Three Ages (1923), was produced similarly to his short films, and was the dawning of a new era in comedic cinema, where it became apparent to Keaton that he had to put more focus on the story lines and characterization.

At the height of his popularity, he was making two features a year, and followed Ages with Our Hospitality (1923), The Navigator (1924) and The General (1926), the latter two he regarded as his best films. The most renowned of Keaton's comedies is Sherlock Jr. (1924), which used cutting edge special effects that received mixed reviews as critics and audiences alike had never seen anything like it, and did not know what to make of it. Modern day film scholars liken the story and effects to Christopher Nolan Inception (2010), for its high level concept and ground-breaking execution. Keaton's Civil War epic The General (1926) kept up his momentum when he gave audiences the biggest and most expensive sequence ever seen in film at the time. At its climax, a bridge collapses while a train is passing over it, sending the train into a river. This wowed audiences, but did little for its long-term financial success. Audiences did not respond well to the film, disliking the higher level of drama over comedy, and the main character being a Confederate soldier.

After a few more silent features, including College (1927) and Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928), Keaton was informed that his contract had been sold to MGM, by brother-in-law and producer Joseph M. Schenck. Keaton regarded the incident as the worst professional mistake he ever made, as it sent his career, legacy, and personal life into a vicious downward spiral for many years. His first film with MGM was The Cameraman (1928), which is regarded as one of his best silent comedies, but the release signified the loss of control Keaton would incur, never again regaining his film -making independence. He made one more silent film at MGM entitled Spite Marriage (1929) before the sound era arrived.

His first appearance in a film with sound was with the ensemble piece The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), though despite the popularity of it and his previous MGM silents, MGM never allowed Keaton his own production unit, and increasingly reduced his creative control over his films. By 1932, his marriage to Natalie Talmadge had dissolved when she sued him for divorce, and in an effort to placate her, put up little resistance. This resulted in the loss of the home he had built for his family nicknamed "The Italian Villa", the bulk of his assets, and contact with his children. Natalie changed their last names from Keaton to Talmadge, and they were disallowed from speaking about their father or seeing him. About 10 years later, when they became of age, they rekindled the relationship with Keaton. His hardships in his professional and private life that had been slowly taking their toll, begun to culminate by the early 1930s resulting in his own dependence on alcohol, and sometimes violent and erratic behavior. Depressed, penniless, and out of control, he was fired by MGM by 1933, and became a full-fledged alcoholic.

After spending time in hospitals to attempt and treat his alcoholism, he met second wife Mae Scrivens, a nurse, and married her hastily in Mexico, only to end in divorce by 1935. After his firing, he made several low-budget shorts for Educational Pictures, and spent the next several years of his life fading out of public favor, and finding work where he could. His career was slightly reinvigorated when he produced the short Grand Slam Opera (1936), which many of his fans admire for giving such a good performance during the most difficult and unmanageable years of his life.

In 1940, he met and married his third wife Eleanor Norris, who was deeply devoted to him, and remained his constant companion and partner until Keaton's death. After several more years of hardship working as an uncredited, underpaid gag man for comedians such as the Marx Brothers, he was consulted on how to do a realistic and comedic fall for In the Good Old Summertime (1949) in which an expensive violin is destroyed. Finding no one who could do this better than him, he was given a minor role in the film. His presence reignited interest in his silent films, which lead to interviews, television appearances, film roles, and world tours that kept him busy for the rest of his life.

After several more film, television, and stage appearances through the 1960s, he wrote the autobiography "My Wonderful World of Slapstick", having completed nearly 150 films in the span of his ground-breaking career. His last film appearance was A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) which premiered seven months after Keaton's death from the rapid onset of lung cancer. Since his death, Keaton's legacy is being discovered by new generations of viewers every day, many of his films are available on YouTube, DVD and Blu-ray, where he, like all gold-gilded and beloved entertainers can live forever.

Clayton Moore grew up in Chicago, Illinois and although his father wanted him to become a doctor, he had visions of something a little more glamorous. Naturally athletic, he practiced gymnastics during family summer vacations in Canada, eventually joining the trapeze act The Flying Behrs at 19. During the 1934 Chicago World's Fair, Clayton performed in the position of catcher. Playing off his good looks, he was signed by the John Robert Powers modeling agency and enjoyed a print career in NY for several years. But a friend urged him to make the move to Hollywood in 1938 where he entered films as a bit player and stuntman. In 1940, at the suggestion of his agent Edward Small, he changed his first name from Jack to Clayton. Beginning with Perils of Nyoka (1942), he eventually became King of the Serials at Republic Studios appearing in more than cliffhanger star Buster Crabbe. During this period, he also worked in many B westerns earning his acting chops alongside Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and interestingly Jay Silverheels. Later in 1942 he entered the military, was stationed in Kingman, Arizona and assigned entertainment duties including the production of training films. While in Arizona, he asked his future wife Sally Allen to marry him; she said "yes" and joined him in Kingman for the balance of his enlistment. After the war, he returned to these supporting roles while concentrating on westerns. His turn as Ghost of Zorro (1949) came to the attention of the radio's hugely successful Lone Ranger producer George W. Trendle who was casting the lead role for the new television series. After the interview, Trendle said, "Mr. Moore would you like the role of the Lone Ranger?" Moore replied, "Mr. Trendle, I AM The Lone Ranger." The premiere episode appeared on ABC on September 15, 1949, and was the first western specifically written for the new medium. Although Moore's voice was a natural baritone, Trendle insisted he sound more like the radio actor Brace Beemer, so Moore worked with a voice coach to mimic both the speech pattern and tone. He starred in television's The Lone Ranger from 1949-1952 and 1953-1957. Along with William Boyd ("Hopalong Cassidy"), Moore was one of the most popular TV western stars of the era. Because of a salary dispute, he was replaced by John Hart, for one season. It was during his time away from the TV show that Moore returned to the big screen (as Clay Moore) to continue his movie career with such memorable movies as Radar Men from the Moon (1952) and Jungle Drums of Africa (1953). where he co-starred with Phyllis Coates, TVs first "Lois Lane". Hired back to the series, at a higher salary, Moore remained as The Lone Ranger until the series ended in 1957, after 169 episodes. He appeared in two color big-screen movie continuations of that character, in The Lone Ranger (1956) and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). After a lifetime of "B" movie parts, Clayton Moore finally found success in a TV series and continued to make commercials and personal appearances as "The Lone Ranger" for the next three decades. The commercials for Jeno's Pizza Rolls and Aqua Velva have become legendary in their own right. At his appearances, he recited The Lone Ranger Creed, which he deeply believed in, and that image was never tarnished by the types of personal scandals that often affected other stars. In 1978 Jack Wrather (the Wrather Corp}, which owned the series and the rights to the title character, obtained a court order to stop Moore from appearing in public as "The Lone Ranger". The company planned to film a new big-screen movie of the popular hero and did not want the public to confuse its new star with the old one. It would be the only screen appearance for Klinton Spilsbury, this "new Lone Ranger". Although the former "Arrow" shirt model appeared rugged and handsome in the "unmasked" sequence, his voice projected so poorly it was overdubbed by the more melodious voice of James Keach. The film was one of the biggest flops of the 1980s and The Lone Ranger story wasn't attempted again until 30 years later with Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp as Tonto. Again, however, the film flopped without a nod to the original tenets of the integrity of the character. After Jack Wrather died in 1984, his widow actress Bonita Granville dismissed the lawsuit allowing Moore to continue to appear as the masked man. Moore's legacy to the entertainment industry and western film genre has been cemented with the installation of his legendary mask in the Smithsonian, his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and a United States Postage Stamp bearing his image alongside Silver.

At the age of eight, Fleming hopped on a freight train to Chicago to escape his abusive father. Following hospitalization for gang fight injuries, he returned to California where he lived with his mother and worked at Paramount as a laborer. Fleming joined the Merchant Marine, and then he served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific in WW II, where he was a Master Carpenter in the Seabees.

From 1946 to 1957, Fleming appeared on stage in Chicago and New York with featured roles in numerous plays on Broadway including "My Three Angels," "Stalag 17," and "No Time For Sergeants." Fleming's television career began in the early 1950's with live performances on "Hallmark Summer Theatre," "The Web," "Suspense," "Kraft Television Theatre," and many other dramatic series. In 1954, he starred in Paramount's film "Conquest of Space," followed by "Queen of Outer Space" for Allied Artists. In 1958, Fleming became the star of CBS-TV's long-running western "Rawhide" as the trail boss Gil Favor. He remained with the top-rated show for seven of its eight seasons, and he had planned to retire to Hawaii where he had purchased a ranch.

He acted in "The Glass Bottom Boat" in 1965, and he was hired by MGM-TV to film the two-part adventure program "High Jungle" in Peru. During the shooting of location shots on the Huallaga River on September 28, 1966, Fleming dove (intentionally?) from a dug-out canoe after paddling it beyond the rapids. His body was lost in the turbulent water and was not recovered until three days later.

Today Barbara Stanwyck is remembered primarily as the matriarch of the family known as the Barkleys on the TV western The Big Valley (1965), wherein she played Victoria, and from the hit drama The Colbys (1985). But she was known to millions of other fans for her movie career, which spanned the period from 1927 until 1964, after which she appeared on television until 1986. It was a career that lasted for 59 years.

Barbara Stanwyck was born Ruby Catherine Stevens on July 16, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to working class parents Catherine Ann (McPhee) and Byron E. Stevens. Her father, from Massachusetts, had English ancestry, and her Canadian mother, from Nova Scotia, was of Scottish and Irish descent. Stanwyck went to work at the local telephone company for fourteen dollars a week, but she had the urge (a dream--that was all it was) somehow to enter show business. When not working, she pounded the pavement in search of dancing jobs. The persistence paid off. Barbara was hired as a chorus girl for the princely sum of $40 a week, much better than the wages she was getting from the phone company. She was seventeen, and was going to make the most of the opportunity that had been given her.

In 1928 Barbara moved to Hollywood, where she was to start one of the most lucrative careers filmdom had ever seen. She was an extremely versatile actress who could adapt to any role. Barbara was equally at home in all genres, from melodramas, such as Forbidden (1932) and Stella Dallas (1937), to thrillers, such as Double Indemnity (1944), one of her best films, also starring Fred MacMurray (as you have never seen him before). She also excelled in comedies such as Remember the Night (1939) and The Lady Eve (1941). Another genre she excelled in was westerns, Union Pacific (1939) being one of her first and TV's The Big Valley (1965) (her most memorable role) being her last. In 1983, she played in the ABC hit mini-series The Thorn Birds (1983), which did much to keep her in the eye of the public. She turned in an outstanding performance as Mary Carson.

Barbara was considered a gem to work with for her serious but easygoing attitude on the set. She worked hard at being an actress, and she never allowed her star quality to go to her head. She was nominated for four Academy Awards, though she never won. She turned in magnificent performances for all the roles she was nominated for, but the "powers that be" always awarded the Oscar to someone else. However, in 1982 she was awarded an honorary Academy Award for "superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting." Sadly, Barbara died on January 20, 1990, leaving 93 movies and a host of TV appearances as her legacy to us.

Hong Kong's cheeky, lovable and best-known film star, Jackie Chan endured many years of long, hard work and multiple injuries to establish international success after his start in Hong Kong's manic martial arts cinema industry.

Jackie was born Kong-sang Chan on April 7, 1954, on Hong Kong's famous Victoria Peak, to Charles and Lee-Lee Chan, and the family immigrated to Canberra, Australia, in early 1960. The young Jackie was less than successful scholastically, so his father sent him back to Hong Kong to attend the rigorous China Drama Academy, one of the Peking Opera schools. Chan excelled at acrobatics, singing and martial arts and eventually became a member of the "Seven Little Fortunes" performing troupe and began lifelong friendships with fellow martial artists / actors Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and Biao Yuen. Chan journeyed back and forth to visit his parents and work in Canberra, but eventually he made his way back to Hong Kong as his permanent home. In the early 1970s, Chan commenced his movie career and interestingly appeared in very minor roles in two films starring then rising martial arts superstar Bruce Lee: Fist of Fury (1972) (aka "The Chinese Connection"), and the Warner Bros. production Enter the Dragon (1973). Not long after Lee's untimely death, Chan was often cast in films cashing in on the success of Bruce Lee by utilizing words like "fist", "fury" or "dragon" in their US release titles.

Chan's own film career was off and running and he swiftly appeared in many low-budget martial arts films that were churned out at a rapid-fire pace by Hong Kong studios eager to satisfy the early 1970s boom in martial-arts cinema. He starred in Shaolin Wooden Men (1976), To Kill with Intrigue (1977), Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978) and Magnificent Bodyguards (1978), which all fared reasonably well at the cinemas. However, he scored a major breakthrough with the action comedy Drunken Master (1978), which has become a cult favorite among martial arts film fans. Not too long after this, Chan made his directorial debut with The Young Master (1980) and then "Enter the Dragon" producer Robert Clouse lured Jackie to the United States for a film planned to break Jackie into the lucrative US market. Battle Creek Brawl (1980) featured Jackie competing in a "toughest Street fighter" contest set in 1940s Texas; however, Jackie was unhappy with the end result, and it failed to fire with US audiences. In a further attempt to get his name known in the United States, Jackie was cast alongside Burt Reynolds, Sir Roger Moore and Dean Martin in the Hal Needham-directed car chase film The Cannonball Run (1981). Regrettably, Jackie was cast as a Japanese race driver and his martial arts skills are only shown in one small sequence near the film's conclusion. Stateside success was still a few years away for Jackie Chan!

Undeterred, he returned to East Asia to do what he did best--make jaw-dropping action films loaded with amazing stunt work. Chan and his legendary stunt team were without parallel in their ability to execute the most incredible fight scenes and action sequences, and the next decade would see some of their best work. Chan paired with the dynamic Sammo Kam-Bo Hung to star in Winners & Sinners (1983), Project A (1983), Wheels on Meals (1984), My Lucky Stars (1985) (aka "Winners & Sinners 2"), Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985) (aka "Winners & Sinners 3"). Chan then journeyed back to the United States for another shot at that market, starring alongside Danny Aiello in The Protector (1985), filmed in Hong Kong and New York. However, as with previous attempts, Jackie felt the US director--in this case, James Glickenhaus--failed to understand his audience appeal and the film played to lukewarm reviews and box-office receipts. However, Jackie did decide to "harden" up his on-screen image somewhat and his next film, Police Story (1985) was a definite departure from previously light-hearted martial arts fare, and his fans loved the final product!

This was quickly followed up with the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)-influenced Armour of God (1986), during filming of which Jackie mistimed a leap from a wall to a tree on location in Yugoslavia and fell many quite a few feet onto his head, causing a skull fracture. It was another in a long line of injuries that Chan has suffered as a result of doing his own stunt work, and he was soon back in front of the cameras. Project A 2 (1987), Police Story 2 (1988), Miracles: The Canton Godfather (1989) (aka "Mr. Canton and Lady Rose)", Armour of God 2: Operation Condor (1991) (aka "Armour of God 2") and Supercop (1992) (aka "Police Story 3") were all sizable hits for Jackie, escalating his status to phenomenal heights in Asia, and to his loyal fanbase around the globe. US success was now just around the corner for the hard-working Jackie Chan, and it arrived in the form of the action film Rumble in the Bronx (1995) (though it was actually filmed in Canada) that successfully blended humor and action to make a winning formula in US theaters.

Jackie did not waste any time and went to work on First Strike (1996) (aka "Police Story 4"), Mr. Nice Guy (1997), Who Am I? (1998), which all met with positive results at the international box office. Jackie then went to work in his biggest-budget US production, starring alongside fast-talking comedian Chris Tucker in the action comedy Rush Hour (1998). The film was a bigger hit than "Rumble in the Bronx" and firmly established Jackie as a bona fide star in the United States. Jackie then paired up with rising talent Owen Wilson to star in Shanghai Noon (2000) and its sequel, Shanghai Knights (2003), and re-teamed with Tucker in Rush Hour 2 (2001), as well as starring in The Tuxedo (2002), The Medallion (2003) and the delightful Around the World in 80 Days (2004). Not one to forget his loyal fanbase, Jackie returned to more gritty and traditional fare with New Police Story (2004) and The Myth (2005). The multi-talented Chan (he is also a major recording star in Asia) shows no sign of slowing down and has long since moved out of the shadow of Bruce Lee, to whom he was usually compared early in his career.

Chan is truly one of the international film industry's true maverick actor / director / stuntman / producer combinations - he has done this the hard way, and always his way to achieve his dreams and goals to be an international cinematic star. Off screen, he has been directly involved in many philanthropic ventures providing financial assistance to schools and universities around the world. He is a UNICEF GoodWill Ambassador, and he has campaigned against animal abuse and pollution and assisted with disaster relief efforts to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami victims.

Ray Abbott was an American stuntman with over 60 credits to his resume. A graduate of Tenafly High School (along with his good friend, the late Jon-Erik Hexum, as well as film and stage actor Ed Harris), Abbott was introduced into the world of stunt work by his THS gym teacher and later Hollywood stuntman A.J. Bakunas. (Bakunas, unfortunately, is best-remembered for dying while trying to beat Dar Robinson's longest drop for the movie Hooper (1978)). When A.J.'s introductions to the NYC stuntman world failed to produce any solid work, in 1980 Ray went to LA to try to break into the competitive Hollywood stunt world. With little success, Ray returned back to NJ and doggedly beat the streets of NYC until he earned his place as a respected stuntman.

Roy began as a stunt performer in 1968 working on dozens of television shows including the children's drama Follyfoot, the long running Emmerdale Farm (as it was then known) and The New Avengers whose director was so impressed by him that he suggested him to the makers of A Bridge Too Far and within days he was on location in Holland on Richard Attenborough's reconstruction of the disastrous Operation Market Garden. Since then he acquired the reputation of a solid all rounder who was always in demand so much so that he was listed in the Guiness Book of Records as the world's most prolific stuntman.He as British Stuntman of the Year in 1983 and held the UK 'high fall' record of 138 feet or 12 storeys on the tv show Taggart. His skills led him to being nominated for an award in the World Stunt Awards for his work on Die Another Day. When he was asked what his most dangerous stunt was , his reply was 'The Next One'

Born in England, Andy competed in many forms of two and four wheeled motor sport before entering the movie business. He began his film career in 1972 in England and France as a vehicle stunt performer. Andy's talent was mostly concentrated towards vehicles stunts. Andy decided in 1973 to make use of his organizational skills too and become an assistant film director.

This proved extremely successful and Andy enjoyed a meteoritic rise through the ranks of third, second and eventually first AD to become one of the World's most highly paid AD's. This work took him all over the world. Specializing particularly in very large international productions that involved complex, dangerous and logistically difficult stunts and action sequences, including the three of the largest James Bond films, The Man With The Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. From 1973 to 1987 Andy worked as an Assistant Director on more than 70 International Movies. As First Assistant Director, Andy's credits include, among many others, Hope and Glory, The Last Place on Earth, Getting it Right, Party Party, Another Country and The Dresser (Both Hope and Glory and The Dresser were nominated for Best Picture Oscars).

With these major credits under his belt, by 1987, Andy once again decided to concentrate on action but this time, creating and directing entire action sequences. This move led Andy to design, coordinate and or direct some of the largest action sequences ever achieved on many international productions. These are typified by the huge (Twelve hundred people) Teamster battle in Hoffa, the (Fourteen hundred people) charge and battles in Stargate; the action on Galaxy Quest, the World War One Battle Scenes for Oscar Winner Frank Pearson's TV Movie Truman, starring Gary Sinese and the huge battles in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes, the car stunt sequences of Highwaymen, and most recently the action sequences on Scooby Doo 2, Cat Woman, I Robot and Eragon. In 1989, Andy moved permanently from England to set up base in California.

Andy is, with his Brother, Vic, a founding member of Armstrong Action, the largest privately owned and most comprehensive family operated Stunt and Action Facilities Company in the World. Andy has, working with Armstrong Action, Stunt Coordinated, Designed and Created the action elements for The Green Hornet, Thor, Season of the Witch and many TV Commercials and live action performances. For the last almost two years, Andy has concentrated largely on the totally new style of movement and action for Sony's, reinvention of The Amazing Spiderman.

Andy has worked in Thirty Eight Countries on Six Continents including, England, USA, France, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Egypt, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Denmark, Norway, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Scotland, Malta, Majorca, Switzerland, Canary Islands, Cayman Islands, Hong-Kong, Holland, Mexico, Lithuania, The Dominican Republic, Austria, China, Singapore, Borneo, Hungary, Japan.

Andy wrote, produced and directed the original movie, Moonshine Highway for Showtime Networks. Starring Kyle MacLachlan and Randy Quaid, this Movie received very favorable trade and public reviews and as a Paramount home video release, has proved to be a successful, popular and extremely profitable rental title. Andy also directed several episodes of The New Adventures of Robin Hood for Warner Brothers TV. Andy directed Biff Henderson Travels Around America for Late Night with David Letterman. Co-directed two Metallica music videos, the now classic Sheryl Crowe "Steve McQueen" music video, and several commercials.

He was a stuntman for over 30 years having left school at14 and started working with his father and the intention of being jockey riding point to point but he grew too big. As he was interested in films stuntman jimmy Lodge got him a job working with the horses on the film Arabesque, Some years down the line having become a professional stuntman he was in the Bond film You Only Live Twice in which he slid down a rope one handed while firing a machine gun with the other,

Denny Arnold was born on 24 October 1934 in Canada. He was an actor, known for X-Men (2000), Rumble in the Bronx (1995) and Chinatown (1974). He died on 31 December 2001 in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.

Charles Bail had a very long, diverse and impressive show business career that spanned the 1950s to the 1990s and encompasses everything from acting to directing to performing and/or coordinating stunts in numerous motion pictures and television programs.

Bail hailed from Pennsylvania. He quit school in the ninth grade and traveled the country prior to serving a stint in the Navy. After finishing high school and spending two years in college, he joined a "wild west show" that performed all over the Orient. He got his start in show business as an extra on the TV series Wagon Train (1957), and soon made the transition from extra to stuntman and guest star on such western series as The Texan (1958), Gunsmoke (1955), The Rough Riders (1958), The Big Valley (1965), Bonanza (1959), Laredo (1965), Bat Masterson (1958), Daniel Boone (1964), The High Chaparral (1967) and Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958). Bail handled stunt coordinator chores on Werewolves on Wheels (1971), The Last Movie (1971), Getting Straight (1970) and The Cycle Savages (1969), and performed stunts in such movies as The Jayhawkers! (1959), Hells Angels on Wheels (1967), The Green Berets (1968), The Scavengers (1969), The Devil's 8 (1969) and Cleopatra Jones (1973).

Bail made his directorial debut with the funky blaxploitation item Black Samson (1974). He subsequently directed the outrageous sequel Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975), the immensely enjoyable cross-country road race romp The Gumball Rally (1976), the nifty sci-fi/action outing Choke Canyon (1986) and the lackluster urban vigilante opus Street Corner Justice (1996). In addition, he directed episodes of such TV shows as Conan the Adventurer (1992), Baywatch Nights (1995), Adam-12 (1968), Dragnet 1967 (1967), "Knight Rider," "Manimal," and "CHiPs." Charles worked for director Richard Rush on several projects in various capacities; he gives a fine performance as amiable stunt coordinator Chuck Barton in the terrific "The Stunt Man." Moreover, Bail was an uncredited second unit director for the features "Greased Lightning," "The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper," and "The Beastmaster." After retiring from show business, Charles settled down in Texas and raised horses. Bail died at age 85 from heart and gall bladder issues on November 25, 2020 in Tyler, Texas.

As the most inspirational and diverse action actor of recent years, Alicia Vela-Bailey has emerged from A-list stunt double to onscreen sensation. Whether it is her chilling performance as Diana in the smash hit Lights Out or her acrobatic, ass kicking, portrayal of Alisha Whitley on Marvel's Agents of Shield, it is clear Alicia Vela-Bailey truly is the human special effect.

Vela-Bailey was raised in Kailua, on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. Her mother Cecelia was a ballerina and an artist from North Carolina. Her father Carlos was a top magician from El Salvador. Having two artistic parents, Vela-Bailey was enrolled in gymnastics and dance at a very young age and quickly climbed the ranks of the Hawaiian Island Twisters, becoming a competitive Level 9 Gymnast. Later, Vela-Bailey shifted more of her focus to dance, becoming a member of Marcelo Pacleb's famous 24-VII Danceforce.

At age 21, Vela-Bailey auditioned to double for Milla Jovovich in Ultraviolet, and subsequently spent four months in Hong Kong and two months in Shanghai doing stunts and martial arts for the film. Ultraviolet was her very first movie experience, as well as her first time doing stunts and martial arts. Her performance earned two nominations for a Taurus World Stunt Award in 2007. Vela-Bailey has continued doubling Hollywood's hottest stars including Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, and Kate Beckinsale to name a few.

As a dancer, Vela-Bailey booked her very first audition and she became a Pussycat Doll in Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace, before being called to audition for James Cameron's Oscar®-winning Avatar. She spent 3 years working on the groundbreaking film as Zoe Saldana's stunt double for the character of Neytiri, as well as playing many different Navi characters including her own character as the Ikran Clan Leader.

Making her way in front of camera in recent years, Vela-Bailey landed the role of Inhuman Alisha Whitley on ABC's hit show Marvel's Agents of Shield. Having the ability to act and do her own stunts quickly helped Vela-Bailey become a fan favorite over two seasons. The fan dubbed Ginger Ninja uses her ability to multiply to take on whatever the Marvel Universe throws at her.

Being a huge fan of the horror genre, Vela-Bailey takes pride in scaring the bejesus out of people. Her terrifying performances in The Purge as the Female Freak and the leather clad Cyber Punk in Hostel 3 feature Vela-Bailey's unique ability to manipulate her body to create terrifying movement.

This character work caught the eye of director David Sandberg and horror super producer James Wan, who were having trouble finding the correct portrayal for the lead villain Diana in Lights Out. Blown away by Vela-Bailey's audition, they hired her on the spot and Vela-Bailey created the performance of Diana that had The New York Times' Jeannette Catsoulis say "Lights Out delivers frights in old-school ways. Chief among these are the chilling exertions of Alicia Vela-Bailey, who portrays Diana with limber ingenuity. She imbues the spook with devilish intent. Whatever you do, don't blink."

Vela-Bailey later doubled for Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman and went on to work with David Sandberg and James Wan on Annabelle 2 as the evil Mrs. Mullins.

Spencer Gordon Bennet was born on 5 January 1893 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for The House Without a Key (1926), The Oil Raider (1934) and Jaws of Justice (1933). He died on 8 October 1987 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

Paul Baxley was born in Casper Wyoming in 1923. Growing up in Los Angeles, he went on to become an all-city quarterback and track star at Eagle Rock High.

A Marine, a Scout and Sniper in the 4th Division in World War II, he fought on Kwajalein (Roi-namur), Iwo Jima, Saipan and Tinian. He received Two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, and a letter of commendation from the President of the United States. Taught briefly on Paris Island after the war.

After the War, he went back to college and became an all-American quarterback. Afterwhich he met Richard Talmadge, who at the time, was the most successful Stunt Coordinator in the motion picture business. Along with Dick and Davey Sharp, the threesome were probably the best all around athletes the industry had ever known. His movie star looks were an obvious fit for doubling some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, among them James Dean, Alan Ladd and Marlon Brando. After working together, he and Marlon became best friends and remained so until Marlon passed away in 2004.

Continuing as one of the most successful Stunt Coordinators and Second Unit director through the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, he also directed several episodes of T.H.E. Cat and The Dukes of Hazzard. Later in his career he enjoyed working as his son's Stunt Coodinator and Second Unit director.

Curt Bonn is known for The Core (2003), Godzilla (2014) and I, Robot (2004).

Stuntwoman May Boss was born on October 7, 1924 in New York. May was a trick rider in the rodeo circuit prior to entering the film industry in the early 1950's heyday of Hollywood Westerns. Among the notable actresses that Boss doubled for are Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth, Sandra Dee, Doris Day, Leslie Caron, and Dorothy Malone. Her career as a stuntwoman spanned five decades. Sadly, May's health declined after suffering a stroke in 2008. The mother of stuntman Clay Boss, Boss died at age 90 on September 16, 2015 in Mission Viejo, California.

David Boushey is known for Blue Velvet (1986), Sudden Death (1995) and Drugstore Cowboy (1989).

Buff Brady was born on 8 April 1918 in Butte, Montana, USA. He was an actor, known for Escape from New York (1981), Mystery Men (1999) and Silverado (1985). He died on 15 April 2004 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Born in New York, raised in New Jersey, Joe Murphy was twelve years old when he started studying karate, riding motorcycles and skiing. Little did he know that those hobbies would someday be a small part of a huge career. At 21, Joe left home for California. Upon arriving, he looked up veteran stuntman Paul Stader's address, went to his home and convinced Stader to train him. He studied stunt work under Stader for six months. Over the next three years, Joe worked odds & ends jobs on film sets including stand-in work and set construction. Then, in 1987, he was hired by stunt coordinator Alan Gibbs for the film, The Wrong Guys. Joe has coordinated dozens of shows including 15 P.M. productions. Broadway Joe (in stunt work you only get one take, just like Broadway) has set two world records. He holds the longest and highest pipe ramp ever in the history of Hollywood! For Private Wars, he sailed a van through the air for 156 feet, 4 stories above Hollywood Boulevard (a dent still remains in the pavement, his own personal star). Joe also holds the record for furthest (air ram) fire gig for alien intruder starring Billy Dee Williams. Joe's philosophy on stunt work is simple - take out the risk. He's never worked without a paramedic on the set. His favorite gigs are high falls and fire gigs (or a combination of both) Why? They pay the most! The fun comes after the work has been safely completed. Your reward is watching the stunt that you conceived, planned and executed. That's what it's about. Joe's goals are to keep working and someday produce his own film. What kind of film? An Action Flick, of course! Acting is acting, sex is sex, but what audiences wants are stunts and effects!!! See ya in the movies.

Bob Bralver was born on 15 January 1941 in the USA. He is an assistant director and actor, known for Darkman (1990), Suicide Kings (1997) and Road House (1989).